Summer Experiences: Figs, delicious homemade food and tea houses from another time in Bucharest

My first interview from 100 Days of Summer is with Roxana, who’s currently living in Bucharest and she’s one of the best guides I know if you’re not looking for mainstream experiences. When it comes to cool spots to go out, underground places to discover, tips of the best streets to explore and hang out or the most magical and enchanting markets, she’s the one I go to.

Read on to discover what her summer in Bucharest looks like:

Your summer in five words:

Heat, vacation, explore, joy, lazy.

What are your favorite places to go out in Bucharest in the summer?

There are a couple of notable options. Ceai la Metoc – is only open in the summer. And also Botanical Garden and Vacaresti National Park. The terrace at the National Museum of Contemporary Art has recently been reopened. It’s worth seeing a sunset over there.

 

What is the most memorable summer memory you remember?

One of my dearest memories dates back to the end of the last summer. I was with you at Ceai la Metoc, a very atmospheric tea-house, sitting at the table under the fig tree. I asked the guy there if I may pick some figs because I have never eaten figs picked by myself. He told me: “Sure, but I don’t know if you’re gonna find one fig that will not be eaten by birds”. Eventually, he brought us fresh figs, on a tiny plate. And each and every thing there seemed to be from another time: the old house in the yard, the atmosphere, the lush green garden surrounding you. It was like taking a trip one hundred years ago.

 

What’s your favorite activity during summer in Bucharest?

Discover new, wild and cool spots to go out in Bucharest. Old houses, former factories turned now into bars, tea-shops or restaurants. And walk through the rain.

What would you recommend to a first comer in Bucharest?

Not to miss the Romanian Peasant Museum, some kind of “cultural mall” in Bucharest. This place should be on everyone’s list visiting Bucharest.

Make sure to visit the museum, watch movies, shop local traditional objects, eat at the Peasant Club, listen to a traditional Romanian music concert. And all this in one single place. Furthermore, it’s worth walking through Vacaresti National Park, on the site of the former Vacaresti Monastery. It’s a genuine oasis of wilderness and peace in the middle of the city.

 

What do people traditionally eat or drink during summer in Bucharest and what are your favorites?

I have no idea if there’s a Romanian dish or a drink people choose exclusively in the summer. But taking into account that you usually go out for dinner more often in the warm season, people prefer in the summer “mici” and beer. I like especially “socata” (a soft drink made from elderflowers) and “alivenci” (a traditional cake originated from the north part of the country, Moldova, very similar to a cheesecake).

Your favorite place to eat in Bucharest

One of my favorite restaurants in Bucharest and a place where I have been eating for a long time is Peasant Club, at the Romanian Peasant Museum. I also like the National Military Circle and Manuc’s Inn. All this are places that take you somehow back in time; they are full of past memories and delicious homemade food.

If you wouldn’t be in Bucharest right now, what’s the place you would like to spend your summer in?

Switzerland, in the Alps.

Ice cream or lemonade?

Very difficult to choose. Both, or lemonade.

 

If you like this interview and you have interesting stuff about your city during summer to share, leave a comment below or drop me an email and we’ll set up a little interview. Also a photo shooting, if you are currently in Berlin! 🙂